


Heart-to-Soul Revelations

by ReaperOfAngels



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Soulmarks, Soulmate AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-16
Updated: 2018-12-15
Packaged: 2019-08-24 10:07:54
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,186
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16637909
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ReaperOfAngels/pseuds/ReaperOfAngels
Summary: Marinette has a heart-to-heart with herself about her emotions for Chat, then a heart-to-heart with Adrien about her feelings about Chat, and then they had a heart-to-heart with each other about their lives. And then Adrien comes to school wearing his spots, along with something else.





	1. 3D Pictures.

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [i'll be as honest as you let me](https://archiveofourown.org/works/13288173) by [a_miiraculer](https://archiveofourown.org/users/a_miiraculer/pseuds/a_miiraculer), [clairelutra (exosolarmoon)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/exosolarmoon/pseuds/clairelutra). 



Marinette had lost her wit's end after Alya had informed her that, yes, this thing on her face  _was_ a soulmark, and  _no, it's not going away anytime soon Marinette._

What had she done to deserve this special kind of hell? Only whatever had made the universe knew because not even Tikki could give her an explanation other than "I guess you fell in love, Mari!" Yeah. Helpful.

Oh sure, she was just supposed to accept that she was in love with her partner, not even having the soulmark a fraction of the time he claimed to have had hers, despite it having already been two weeks.

So what was she supposed to do? She couldn't just tell Chat, that would get his hopes up, and she was still fiercely trying to deny this as well as come to terms with how the  _hell_ she had fallen for that complete and utter  _dork_ , who would probably preen so badly if he told her that he would trip and fall off the roof of whatever building they were on, like the adorable idiot he was when he was trying to impress her, and she would probably have to catch him, and god, she could already see that shit-eating grin on his smug face and hear the pun rolling off his tongue before he could even make an attempt to stop himself, and-

Oh.

 _Oh_.

That's how she had fallen for that idiot.

He was  _her_ idiot, and that hadn't changed one bit in the last three years.

She could even recall many times where she had referred to him as her own, even though they weren't in that kind of relationship - it was just... subconscious. 

("Haha look at that dumbass"

"..."

"Wait,

that's  _my_ dumbass-")

It was just too unfortunate that she had come to this revelation in the middle of Physics, but lucky her, it wasn't unusual for Marinette to groan in frustration during a Physics class. 

She happily did so, putting her face in her hands and letting out an angry scream into her palms. It was less than a second before she stopped the muffled scream, but she knew everyone was looking at her.

Marinette took in a deep breath before removing her hands and beginning to work vigorously. Adrien faltered from the dest in front of her, then turned the stool around and smiled as kindly as he could. "Um... I could help you if you want?" He asked sheepishly, biting his lip. "I know this isn't your best subject, but I'm okay at teaching!"

"Okay at teaching? Dude, Mme. Mendeleiev couldn't teach me this no matter how many times she described it to me, but you made it seem so easy! You need to be a teacher when you get older- promise me that you will, you'll save hundreds of students from headaches." Nino exclaimed over his shoulder, giving his best friend a puppy-eyed look, which Adrien just laughed at. Adrien had been the one that was most curious of her new soulmark decorating her face, but his questions had died down. She narrowed her eyes in suspicion at him, wondering - was this just using this an excuse to start with the questions again?

Adrien turned back to her. "So, Mari, which one are you-"

Marinette poked his chest with her finger, internally screaming at the fact that his chest was  _rock solid_ , but she didn't let it show on her face. "Are you just helping me so you can ask more questions, Mr. Agreste?" She said with a smirk on her face to make sure he knew she was being playful, but something about the way he swallowed, the way his Adam's apple bobbed, and the way his eyes went wide made her realize that she maybe be channeling Ladybug just a  _tad_ too much. But she didn't falter, faltering would just prove the thoughts bound to be swirling around in his head. 

Adrien blinked slowly. "Er, um, yes? But! I won't ask you any questions about it if you don't want me to! I know you said you're not comfortable just yet-"

Marinette shook her head. "No, I've come to terms with it. I'm just teasing you. You can ask, but I can't promise I can answer." She softened her smile, then vaguely realized that her accepting the idea of loving Chat made it  _that_ much easier to talk to Adrien, who's soulmark had yet to appear on her, and she understood that it probably wouldn't at this point. She needed to come to terms with her feelings for Chat. 

* * *

"How did you fall in love with him?"

"There was a lot of circumstances that led up to it, you'll have to be more specific about that."

"When was the first time you realized you might like him, then?"

"When I realized how much of an adorable idiot he is. At the time, I assumed it was platonic affection, not romantic."

He paused.

"What events led up to you falling in love with him?"

"Sorry, I can't tell you about that."

"Why not?"

"There's... a lot of personal stuff going on, it's kind of hard to explain without telling you something I'm not allowed to tell anyone, including him. If there ever comes a time, though, when I can tell you, you'll be the third or fourth person to know."

"Third or fourth?"

"Chat deserves to know more than anyone, so I would tell him first, then Alya, because she would kill me if I didn't, and then I'd either tell you or Nino next. Whoever picks up the phone faster at like two AM, probably. Trust me, if I had any say in the matter of how badly Alya's going to kill me, you would be second, but I'm more scared of her than I am sorry about not telling you sooner."

At that, Adrien laughed. A full, bright, genuine laugh and Marinette could only stare. It reminded her of a rainy day and the exchange of a faulty umbrella that now rests in the back of her room, in a corner where no one could see. It was a treasure, just like the lucky bracelet he had given her for her 14th birthday. Just like the happiness on his face when he assumed the scarf she had made him was from his dad. A treasure.

Marinette sucked in a breath and closed her eyes to try and get ahold of her rapidly beating heart. She then shook her head. "Careful, Agreste. You go around laughing like that and girls will start falling for you left and right." She said as nonchalantly as possible, but the comment made him freeze, then a shy blush spread over his cheeks, then a small smile split his face. 

"You think so?"

It was Marinette's turn to blush and she bit down a scream because  _yes, that's exactly what would happen_. 

Marinette smiled. "Chat has... a similar laugh to yours, and while it's typically not as genuine as what you just busted out, it worked on me, didn't it?" She chuckled, staring down at her paper as she idly began to draw cats across it. "Sometimes, I wonder what's going on in his personal life, but I never ask. He just seems so lonely all the time, and I think I've only ever heard him genuinely laugh a couple times. His dad's an ass and works him to the bone, I'm surprised he even comes out as Chat at all. I can't imagine how stressful that is - and I want to help him, but I can't." She let out a sigh, and before she even realized it she had sketched a decent rendition of Chat's face onto her paper, with that cocky smirk on his face that she knew so well. She heard Adrien inhaled a little too sharply- or was that just her imagination? She couldn't really be too sure, honestly. 

"Hey, Adrien, do you wanna come over and play video games some time? I could use a sparring buddy that puts up more of a fight." She looked up at him and grinned, her bangs hiding a bit of her view, but she was pretty sure she saw... blush(?) on his face, and him nodding quickly. "Yay!" Marinette laughed and began to quietly erase the drawings she had made. She didn't need Mme. Mendeleiev to have more ammo against her than she already did.

After finishing her homework, though, that didn't stop her from pulling out her sketchbook and beginning to quickly sketch the new object of her affection, albeit affection that was more settled down on than feeling like lightning struck her. But that was okay. Because not all love had to feel like falling at once, she knew that now.

But the strangled noise Adrien admitted  _was_ distracting. Even with having come to terms with the idea that he'll never love her that way, and she apparently didn't know him like that, that didn't mean her affections were immediately kaput and hearing him make a sound like that... well, it sent shivers down her back. She looked back up at him and he stared. "... yes, Adrien?" She asked, staring at him.

Adrien stared back at her before sighing, closing his eyes, inhaling deeply, then let it out. When he opened his eyes again, he was staring at her like a curious kitten, wanting to get into the tangle close by and willing to do anything to make his owner let him. "What... what do you see in him? I'm sorry if that sounds really bad, but I'm  _really_ curious-"

"Adrien, it's okay." Marinette glanced at the clock. "I'll tell you what - it's almost the end of the day, and you don't have fencing practice or Chinese today, right? And no photoshoot _right_ after school, correct?"

Adrien nodded his head in response. 

"Come over today. I'll stuff you with treats while I ramble to you about Chat, okay? But if you hear something you don't want, that's your own fault for asking. Capice?" She asked, grinning as she held her fist out for a fist bump. It was a gesture she tried to keep to her and Chat, but Adrien had always been a special case in her heart.

He seemed surprised at the gesture, but lifted a fist and gently met her knuckles with his own, his index finger meeting hers before rolling down to press the whole of his knuckles against hers.

Her body tensed and her eyes went wide. If it hadn't been Adrien sitting in front of her, she would have firmly denied it was anyone other than Chat Noir that had just fist bumped her. Similar size and shape, rolled his knuckles against her just like Chat tended to - and she would have also firmly  _believed_ it if she hadn't known it was Adrien.

"... Pound it." She said without even really thinking about it, then pulled her hand away, setting it in her lap, and watched his eyes also go wide but then relax, seeming to laugh at something. Marinette didn't know how to feel about that. 

* * *

Marinette had to wait a couple minutes, but Adrien did eventually run down the steps, grinning at Marinette like the weirdest shit hadn't just happened, but whatever. They bid their goodbyes to Alya and Nino and walked to the bakery. She could already tell he was buzzing with energy from his curiosity, which was endearing, but also kind of frightening. She walked in, grabbing the box of "unsellable" goods and marching up to her room. Adrien followed her after politely greeting her parents. 

Both kids in, trapdoor closed, treats on the desk. She looked up and quietly began to take down all the pictures of the boy in the room. She still liked him, sure, but she didn't need them, and soon they were in a small pile, face down, on her desk. She booted up the game she wanted to play, sighing as she pulled the controllers out. "Um... okay. I don't even know where to begin." She laughed breathlessly as she handed him one of the controllers. 

"It's okay, take your time. I wasn't even expecting you to be willing to answer my question, much less invite me over to answer it." He said as they started the game and picked their characters. Adrien picked the Black Cat mecha, like always, and Marinette picked the Ladybug mecha... like always.

She started the match. "Well... okay. I guess I should start with what I like the most about him and work my way down the list." She murmured and sighed, mashing buttons out of pure muscle memory rather than actually paying attention.

"I don't know... I couldn't state anything about his appearance, nor would I really want to, despite how attractive he is. I wouldn't want to objectify him like that, just like I wouldn't try to objectify you just because you're a supermodel or whatever. But one of my favorite things about Chat is that he's a good listener. It doesn't really matter who it is. I've seen him sit down and listen to the plights of a small elderly woman and the woes of a middle-aged businessman. He's really good at just listening, and if they want his advice he'll give it to them. He's always so respectful of people's wishes, and just respectful in general. If you tell him you're not comfortable with something he does, he stops it immediately. As if it was never apart of his mannerisms, to begin with." Marinette chuckled fondly, sighing as she continued to subconsciously pummel Adrien's mecha. "He... ugh, that idiot is so sweet, and flirts too much, I don't understand why more girls don't have his stupid soulmark. Or maybe they cover it with makeup to avoid those fan accusations." She chuckled dryly.

"I love that he's so sweet and considerate of others around him. As if he's infinitely more aware of people's emotions than other people. Knows just how to cheer them up, even if that person isn't willing to accept the sentiment." She frowned, now suddenly aware of the times Chat knew exactly how to cheer her up but she didn't accept it because her negative emotions had gotten in the way. "I'm... guilty of that." She mumbled, sighing. "Actually, since getting this soulmark I've become really aware of how badly I've treated Chat Noir in the past, even if he doesn't know it. He deserves so much more than what I ever gave him and I suppose that's my only regret."

She saw Adrien glance at her rather curiously from the corner of her eye and she just shook her head.

"I can't tell you how I've treated him badly, or how I know him. I'm sorry. That's just not something I can tell anyone, really. I want to. I've wanted to since this started going on, but I'm scared of what may happen if people know. It isn't my rule." She sighed and shook her head.

"Well, er, you said that you thought he was attractive? If you were going to objectify anything about him, what would it be?"

"His eyes."

Marinette hadn't even hesitated in her answer and it made Adrien start choking. She paused the game and gently rubbed his back, chuckling. She watched him and realized how red his face had gotten, and blushed a little herself. "Sorry, I tend to ramble when I get passionate about something." She giggled as she watched him right himself, looking at her shyly. She picked up her controller again and looked down. "I... how do I even describe his eyes?" She snorted. "They're like big peridots, with slits down the middle, able to give such a wide variety of emotions that most people never experience. From death glares than make you regret being born to looks of such pure and innocent adoration that it's a wonder he doesn't have a fucking girl or boyfriend." She breathed out a laugh. "And he's really good at kitten eyes - like, it's actually unfair. Really unfair. I've seen Alya crumble under his kitten eyes, and she has twin younger sisters that make better baby doll eyes than Manon Chamack. I'm not sure anyone would be able to resist giving them the whole world if they could. I wouldn't." 

* * *

Adrien felt his face heating up at Marinette's words.  _She_ didn't know she was talking to Chat, about Chat, and about how much she liked Chat, but  _he_ did, and that made it all the worse, honestly.  _But that's an interesting situation she brought up_ , echoed Adrien's thoughts that sounded suspiciously like Plagg at this point,  _because I only ever gave Alya kitten eyes once, and the only other person around to see it was Ladybug_.

But, pfft, yeah right. Like Marinette was Ladybug. That was preposterous. Like  _hell_ Marinette was Ladybug and he hadn't noticed. She was always the first to... run for a place to hide from an Akuma when there was an alert. And she would always be late to school the next morning after patrol had run late, and sometimes if she talked into her bag, who would ever know she wasn't just talking to a small pet?

Fuck. 

That would explain how she knew Chat, too, considering he didn't really talk to her that much as Chat (or Adrien for that matter, but he would touch on that later).

He looked at her, trying to imagine Marinette in a Ladybug costume. He had gotten very close to seeing her in full Ladybug cosplay, once, but just like him with his Chat Noir outfit, she downright refused to put on the mask. That was  _not_ how he planned on revealing his identity, and now that he thought about it, she probably had thought the same thing, if she was Ladybug.

An idea struck him, and he paused the game. He wasn't going to ask her directly about it, but he may as well see her reaction to this.

"Hey, Marinette?"

"Yeah?"

"Um, I realize how unfair it is for me to ask you to talk about this without also doing so. So I want to tell you about the soulmark I have- it may make you feel a little better?"

"Sure... but I didn't know you had a soulmark? Where is it?"

"Do you have any makeup removers?"

"Uh... yeah, by the sink. Do you cover it up?"

"I kind of have to since it's on my face."

"What?" 

Marinette turned to look at him, watching him through the mirror as he began to wipe his face with the makeup remover, and instead of a paler skin tone showing or something, it started to reveal a red and black domino mask that perfectly mimicked her own mask as Ladybug. Her eyes went wide as he finished and walked back over, smiling that damned charming smile, and she felt her heart get stuck in her throat. 

Adrien glanced down, biting on his lip. "Only... Only Nathalie knows of this mark. Not even my father knows I have Ladybug's soulmark, but I had to beg Nathalie to not tell him. I have to cake on makeup in the morning to hide it because it would hurt my image as a celebrity who's single and junk for girls." He shrugged. "If I wasn't who I was, though...? I wouldn't even bother trying to hide it. I'd wear it to school, fencing, Chinese, the cafe across the street, the park - if I wasn't who I was, I think I would probably be the biggest supporter Ladybug has, all the way down to the soulmark." He laughed awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. Marinette studied this boy in front of her, her face probably a dark red at this point. Her mark... it was so  _vibrant_ and  _alive_ on his skin, and the contrast of his eyes to the red of the mask was almost staggering.

"Adrien..."

"Yeah?

"How long have you had that mark?"

"..."

Adrien was silent for a time before humming. "Um, like a couple weeks after me and you first met at school. So it's been nearly three years now." He murmured with a smile. "Why do you ask?"

Marinette stared before shaking her head. "No reason. Um... you wanted to talk about it?" She asked with a shy smile.

Adrien lit up. He wasn't able to vent to anyone else about his affections for Ladybug, he had so many things to say, to get off of his chest. 

"God, Marinette, I hope you meet her someday. I feel like you and she would get along so well." He chuckled and sighed. "She's just... amazing. I'm not as good with words as you are, but I hope I can convey to you how much I adore her." He blushed, closing his eyes. "It's like... she's like this indestructible being, but if you actually get to know her, it's like she both that and not at the same time. She's good at stating boundaries, but if it comes to someone she cares about, she's willing to work around those boundaries she sets up just enough to make someone feel like their at... home." He whispered. "I don't know if that makes any sense, but that's just how she seems to work to me. She's very blunt and honest and acknowledges when she makes mistakes, something not a lot of people can do. She apologizes, and always tries her damnedest to make up for the mistake she made. She's so thoughtful, too- and god is she smart. I've seen her come up with solutions to seemingly  _impossible_ problems and made it out flawlessly."

Adrien heard a snort from beside him and looked over at her with a grin that he just knew was lovesick in appearance. "What?"

Marinette giggled. Her face was a bright red, though if he thought of her as just Marinette, that red on her face didn't make any sense. "You find intelligence sexy, Adrien?" She asked sincerely, not a single bit of condescending tone, not a drop of judgment... just sincere curiosity.

"Hell yeah!" Adrien laughed and sighed, leaning back. "I wouldn't want a daft partner. Not that there's anything with wrong with... not being able to problem solve or anything, or not be able to do things in your head really quickly - not to mention there's a lot of different types of intelligence. But, I... I need someone that I'm able to talk to, to throw a clever phrase at and get a sassy or witty response right back." He smiled. "Especially since I had a real lack of people to talk to when I was younger."

"You need someone to have an intelligent or at least interesting talk with, not small talk about things going on in the world or life, right?" Marinette smiled in understanding, her blush having died down a little.

"Yeah! That. I told you I wasn't really good with words." He rubbed the back of his neck. "I know how to talk in front of the press in a way that it doesn't come off as offensive, but I know that sometimes words can sound mean without the intention." He shrugged. Marinette stared at him, sighing and smiling fondly at her friend. "Yeah. I know that too." She shifted, crisscrossing her legs in her chair. "Hey, do you think I could talk to you like this more? I... I like it." She messed with her fingers silently. "And it makes me feel better about this whole... uh." She gestured broadly to her face, to which Adrien chuckled. "Yeah. It makes me feel better, too. I can't really talk about this sort of thing with Nino since he doesn't understand, but it would make me feel better if I could talk to you about it. It'll help me vent a little." He rubbed the back of his neck. "And, hey- we could complain to each other about the stupid crap they pull sometimes, right?"

Marinette was smiling and nodding but then she grimaced. She slowly shrank back into her seat, looking down at her lap. Yeah, stupid crap...

"Mari? Are you okay?"

Marinette looked up at him and sighed, picking up the controller and motioning for him to do the same, unpausing their game and continuing to play. 

* * *

It wasn't for another 20 minutes that Marinette had said anything, and she had that same gloomy look on her face. He had beaten her twice in this time, which was highly unusual, and finally, he couldn't take it anymore. He was the one to pause the game, again, looking over at her. "Marinette. What's wrong?"

Marinette was silent again before she let out a groan of frustration and stood up, throwing her controller on the desk, walking away and digging her fingers into her hair. "That- That stupid tomcat! Ugh, he pulls so much stupid shit, and does he even care when he almost dies or actually  _does_ die? No! No, that fucking idiot just smiles and puns like he wasn't just  _dead_ for three hours, acts like  _nothing_ is wrong, and just getting to see the city okay and seeing Ladybug's face is enough! Does he not even care about how Ladybug feels about seeing him die right in front of her? How devastated she is? Those images don't just go away! _Someone can't just **unsee**  their **best friend** die in their arms!"_ She growled angrily before stopping, frozen in her wake, then she crumbled to the ground, letting out a choked sob.

Adrien scrambled up and hugged her tightly, blinking in sheer curiosity at how she was reacting so strongly to this situation. Well, this sort of sealed the deal, didn't it? No one knew about Chat dying on any occasion during an Akuma battle, and he barely remembered it himself. Only Ladybug knew, and she often refused to look at him after he pulled moves like that. He swallowed thickly. Maybe he should try and dig a little deeper.

"But... isn't he supposed to sacrifice himself for her? I mean, he's her sidekick and all that..." He murmured. His Ladybug  _hated_ it whenever someone referred to him as her sidekick, and it wasn't any different now, he noticed, as Marinette's head whipped up, staring at him as if he had grown a second head and a third eye to top it off. 

"What?! No, he not supposed to sacrifice himself for her, and he's not her sidekick!" She glared at him. "They're partners! Always have been and always will be! That stupid self-sacrificing cat has given up more for this city than dumb old Ladybug ever will or ever could. She wouldn't be able to protect Paris even half as well without him around, and yet he just-  _disposes of_ himself like he thinks he's just garbage!" She growled and tears started streaming down her face. "I don't understand how someone with so much empathy and compassion for mere strangers could have so little sympathy for _himself_. I don't-" Marinette took a shuddering breath and leaned against him, putting a hand over her mouth. "I don't understand how he could love a girl he doesn't even know so fiercely and yet not leave an ounce of it for himself. What if the girl under that mask isn't who he thinks she is? Or isn't who he's expecting it to be? What would he do if... if she ends up disappointing his expectations?" She shuddered as if scared of the thought.

Adrien blushed darkly.  _You've already surpassed every expectation I ever had of you, my lady... you really have_. He hugged her tightly, trying not to scream at how close she was, and also trying not to bury his nose into her hair to try and calm down.

"I see your point, Marinette. No, I don't think... he's just her sidekick." Actually, he had just up until a minute ago, but he wasn't going to tell her that. She had shown just how strongly she felt about the idea of him being her sidekick, even if it was in a sort of self-deprecating way. "But... counterpoint." He watched as she lifted her head, her eyes locked onto his. It was at that moment he was forced to remember every memory he had of himself with Marinette.

When he first met her- she was such a spitfire, standing up to the smallest bit of bullying even though he hadn't meant to bully her, and never would mean to. How excited she was for the design contest that her father had put up, and she had won it! He felt so happy to be wearing a Marinette original that day, and he had no idea why. Marinette was so talented and deserved every bit of recognition she got, and he had thought that before understanding who she was outside of the safety of soft civilian clothes and boundaries.

She worked hard to make a banner for that race between Alix and Kim, even though they never really got an answer to the bet. How brave she was to go on a date with the Evillustrator (as a civilian!) and even almost got through with the cleansing without requiring his help... almost.

Or when he almost... kissed her. For the movie the ended up being about an actual Akuma that was later claimed as fake. Oh god, that sent his face alight with heat. He had almost kissed her! If Chloe hadn't come along, it may have actually happened, too. 

He shook himself out of his reverie, knowing that if he thought about it now, he wouldn't be able to stop, and he realized he'd already been quiet far too long. He cleared his throat. "Okay, so, counterpoint. What if... the girl under the Ladybug mask is so much more than he ever thought she would be?" He asked, and she opened her mouth to protest, but he stopped her by putting a finger to her lips, shaking his head. "Let me finish." He smiled, slowly removing his finger after a moment.

He looked down at the floor. "Ladybug herself... she shows personality, but because of her professional boundaries, she makes herself appear as a 2D picture, a flat surface that you would never be able to see the whole of. She looks amazing and presents herself as an amazing person. But you couldn't circle and see what's behind that flat image, find her innermost secrets and dreams and desires.

"But what about her civilian self? I remember once that she mentioned being a complete klutz as a civilian, that she was almost the polar opposite of herself, and people went on a mad hunt to find a clumsy girl that was mean and stand-offish, that looked like her. No one ever found a match." He chuckled. "But that person - that supposedly clumsy girl who probably isn't standoffish, who probably smiles all day, laughs with her friends, sits in her room working on homework at seven o' clock at night? That girl who could possibly talk to herself, cry over some band, beat ass at video games but god help her if you asked her to work social media? That girl is a 3D model, a work of art. She could probably talk about her dream and wishes for hours upon hours if you got her worked up, but she blocks herself as Ladybug. Refuses to let anyone know about how she really is. Maybe she's embarrassed, maybe she wants to keep her two lives separate - no one knows." He smiled softly at Marinette, who was giggling by now in a bubbly sort of way and staring at him with such a gleam to her eyes that it almost took his breath away.

"Marinette, Ladybug could never disappoint Chat Noir's expectations, because no matter what she's actually like underneath that mask, she's not just Ladybug. She's a person. A person who eats and sleeps - goes to school with her friends. She cries, loves. She'll instantly become a 3D image when Chat finally gets to meet her as her true self. The chance of Chat being disappointed in finding out that Ladybug is a person is the same chance that Hell has of freezing over."

At that, Marinette let out a full-on laugh, clinging to him and grinning from ear to ear. "Thanks, Adrien. That made me feel so much better." She whispered. 

* * *

She didn't know how, but they had eventually moved up to her bed, where she continued to tell him the significance behind all the pictures up on her corkboard, and they recounted their childhood together over oddly shaped biscuits and chocolate croissants. Adrien and Marinette couldn't have known or understood each other better that night if they had grown up together. But bearing your soul to someone wasn't easy, and there were still some things that went unsaid, but Marinette was sure she had found out things not even Chloe knew about Adrien. And by the time he was forced to leave close to around nine o'clock at night, she was confident enough to look at him with a grin. 

"Hey, Adrien?"

"Hmmm?" He looked up at her from the steps up to her home, new makeup applied to hide the mask over his face, when she hadn't even bothered to hide the mask on her own.

"... You should wear your spots to school tomorrow."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 2 coming soon


	2. Wearing Your Spots On Your Sleeve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> H h h h h   
> So I’ve noticed that if I role play regularly, I don’t write, and if I write regularly, I don’t roleplay. I guess I can only focus my creativity into one outlet at a time.  
> So guess what I’ve been doing for the past few m o n t h s that I haven’t been writing.
> 
> ... I’m such trash and I don’t think anyone can save me at this point in my life.

People gaped as Adrien walked into school, with a confident smirk on his face, which was decorated with red and black. The worst thing about this? The confidence was  _real_ , not some persona. The cockiness was as real as the soulmarks decorating his body like tattoos, and he couldn't care less. Marinette,  _Ladybug,_ had inspired that, and he loved the boost it gave to his typically faltering ego. He looked down at the spray of pink peonies decorating his arm almost like a sleeve, like Mylène's soulmark from Ivan. A single ladybug rested on one of the petals of a flower, and honestly? That would have been enough confirmation for him, but last night's talk with her had already shown him who she was. He knew, and fuck was he in love with the character Ladybug had underneath it all. 

He stopped in his tracks when he saw the person he had been inspired by as of late, the person that was making his heart ache pleasantly with the pull of affection that just the sight of her brought him. She wasn't hiding her mask either. 

Alya looked over at Adrien but then looked very alarmed, gripping Marinette's arm and shaking it gently, just pointing. Marinette looked over, then turned slowly to face him completely. She was wearing a low-cut top with a Chat Noir hoodie draped over it, and, in the middle of her chest, just under her collarbone, was a bright green kitten, showing starkly against her skin. They locked eyes with each other, and then looked down at their soulmarks. 

Adrien had always thought that his soulmark was a pale star on the cheek, but looking at Marinette now? He now knew that not to be true, because seeing that kitten on Marinette's breastbone? It made so much more sense than a star on the cheek. 

Marinette was staring very blatantly at the mark on his arm and he could only blush, walking up to her and sliding his hand into hers. "Looks like we're a perfect match now, my lady." He whispered softly in her ear, then brought her hand up, kissing her knuckles. Marinette gaped at him, but then slowly relaxed. She gripped his hand, smiling shyly up at him.

"I guess we are, _minou_." She whispered. "But don't let me say all that stuff in front of you again." She murmured and bumped into him gently, staring up at him through her lashes.

Adrien blushed but just grinned. "Aw, you're no fun." He chuckled, squeezing her hand.

Alya was gaping at the two of them, looking outraged. "What- When did you- How did-"

Marinette began to giggle, moving her other arm to hug Adrien's, smiling at her. "We had... a come to Jesus meeting of sorts, last night." She giggled, her fingers lacing together with his. Adrien grinned proudly as he looked down at Marinette, squeezing her hand before they heard the first bell. They turned away and began to talk to one another quietly, soft smiles on their lips. 

* * *

No one else in their class had seen them yet for the exception of Alya, so when they entered the classroom, it was no surprise when Rose shot up out of her seat, her mouth gaped wide in surprise. 

They truly were a matching pair, Marinette decided, if this got Rose to react in such a surprised manner. Myèlene looked up from her book. "What's wrong, Rose? Why're you-" Myèlene's eyes followed the line of her finger to the source of shock and her own jaw dropped, and she dropped her book. 

Marinette looked up at Adrien and the two began to laugh quietly, gripping one another's hands tightly. Adrien escorted her up to her seat and pressed and very light and brief kiss to her cheek, making her face go red. She glared at him playfully.

"Flirt."

Adrien laughed. "Tomato." He countered with a smirk, which only made her face redder.

"I believe that's Nathaniel's nickname,  _mon minou_." She murmured and tapped his nose. He shrugged.

"Fine. Beautiful?" He asked and rose a brow, causing her to mildly choke and grip his shoulder.

That's when Nino decided to make an appearance with Alya whispering to him frantically before pointing to Adrien and Marinette. Nino looked over, and his eyes went wide like the rest of them at the matching soulmarks, and not for just each other. Well, yeah, for each other, but he didn't know that. He glanced between the both of them before groaning. "Dudes, now I have to listen to you be utter saps about fricking superheroes  _and_ each other? I think I might die." He murmured and put his face in his hands.

Marinette looked down at him and smiled sympathetically. "Don't worry, Nino. Me and Adrien are our own vent buddies. We'll complain and sigh to each other, you go be cuddly with Alya." She snickered.

Nino's tan skin went beet red and Alya blinked, looking at him. "Nino, you okay?" She asked. Nino just looked at her before glancing away again. "Yeah! Never better! Ahem, uh, let's just sit down, yeah?" He asked as politely as possible, retreating to his seat.

Adrien looked questioningly down at Marinette, who motioned for him to lean down a little farther. "Notice that Nino started wearing a lot of hoodies and sweaters?" She whispered, and when he nodded, she continued. "Nino's got a big foxtail on his left arm! And it belongs to Alya." She grinned broadly as Adrien's eyes went wide and he looked at her. He then glanced at Alya, and back to Marinette. She nodded. "Alya has the outline of a turtle on her shoulder blade, but she hasn't addressed it with him at all." She whispered and shrugged. 

Adrien sighed. "Let's... not get involved. I was a little annoyed when they kept pushing us into dating situations when we didn't know each other like that." 

Marinette nodded and they parted so he could sit down and she could turn to her friend, smiling.

Alya smiled back. "So... he has your mark." 

"Mhm." Marinette grinned.

"And... you two have already talked about this?"

"Um, no, not really? We didn't know we had each other's marks until this morning. And," she absently traced the cat on her chest, "I, sort of, um... I guess it feels weird? Because I had been waiting so long for his mark to appear on me, thinking it was something entirely different than what it actually is. I think my problem was that I wasn't _really_ in love with him... I didn't actually know anything about him, just what he did and how he acted in public. But... I think, this time, I truly am in love with him. All of him."

* * *

The day was relatively normal from then on out, for the exception of two things. The first, Marinette was able to actually talk normally around Adrien for once, and she did talk to him - all day. Alya was finding it both amusing and annoying that Adrien was stealing all of the attention of Marinette, but how could she blame him? He looked just about as smitten with Marinette as she had supposedly been for the past three or four years, and he was about as smooth as butter when it came to riling Marinette up, and getting her face red. Neither Alya or Nino had ever seen Adrien so happy in their time knowing him. 

The second thing that was different was how much the class was paying attention to the pair's antics, and how distressing the teachers found it. Their teachers had snapped at Marinette and Adrien several times, but neither of them ever replied, even to questions, just smiled and nodded, then went back to what they were doing. They really weren't doing anything bad; in fact, they were helping each other with homework and talking to one another, but their whispers were filled with teasing and playful flirting that no one could understand.

Mostly because it was a mix up of words from French, Mandarin, and English, a way of speaking to one another they developed and tacked rules onto so Akumas couldn’t understand them during battles, and it was pleasing to see just how baffled their classmates were whenever they tried to listen in on their conversation at the strange words, grammar, and nonsense idioms spewing from their lips.

But, when classes were almost over, Marinette looked up at Adrien and gave this cute little crooked grin that somehow melted his heart and mind all at once. She stood up, pulling her bag onto her shoulder. “See you tonight, _minou_?” She asked sweetly, reaching out and lightly grazing her fingers over his cheek, a trick she had picked up a while ago. It always made him lean into her hand, and it was as effective on him as his kitten eyes were on her.

”Definitely, buginette.” He murmured and grinned up at her as she rolled her eyes. 

“Should I bring anything? I know you have a soft spot for our chocolate croissants, but we also have some apple cinnamon crumble in the shop right now...”

” _Dieu,_ please.” He murmured, reaching up and squeezing her hand. “You’re too good for me, princess.”

Marinette began to giggle. “You know, I could say the same for you, Adrien, but I think that would start a very passionate arguement.” She leaned down, kissed his cheek, then moved to the classroom door. “See you, kitty.” She winked at him before leaving, leaving a love-sick blonde and two gaping Moroccans ready to bombard the oblivious boy with questions.


End file.
